Fallout Equestria: Desperados

Fallout Equestria: Desperados

Braking Point, Part 1

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"In our travels, Harp Melody would be the one who always took charge in both negotiations and giving commands when it ended in a fight. Charismatic and confident, I have seen many others like her before. Always the leader, though not all lived long enough to attain glory.

From my many interviews with her, it was clear that she had been groomed for such a role, though she was not expected to attain any power higher than what was pre-decided for her. Out in the wasteland, this skill proved both the group's lifesaver and what would doom them to not find peace. Failure can allow someone to stop and change their path. It could even force them to simply settle down into a new life. But success, that only pushes you to keep going, to find new challenges until you fail or there’s nothing left to achieve.

It makes me wonder if the three of them would have found some peace if they just let themselves give up, or was this wasteland truly too cruel to never offer them a way out?" ~ Azure Dice

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Another day almost over. I chewed on the last bit of bland and pitiful excuse for food. I’m hungry and tired to even mouth a complaint. My body wanted sustenance, not caring what it was.

“Harp, are you feeling alright?” Slowtrot asked as he waved his pipbuck over me, causing me to glare at him. He quickly retracted his pipbuck, looking a bit ashamed. “Sorry. I wasn't thinking.”

I sighed. “What does it say?”

It was an intrusion of privacy, but knowing what my current health was would help at least gage how long I’ll last.

Looking at his pipbuck 3200, he frowned a little.

“That bad?” I asked.

He shook his head. “You're doing alright compared to me. Exhaustion is your biggest problem and you could do with having more nutrition if my guess is correct. It also says that you muscles are strained and you should take a long rest… which we all know is not happening.”

I could have guessed as much, but it was good to get confirmation. So the main problem was just the grind this place puts on a pony that would clearly wears me down faster than the others. Unfortunately I likely would be dragged away before even that happened and that's if I don’t get killed first.

Looking over at Slowtrot, he clearly hasn't fully recovered yet either. How could he? The stallion only got a day's rest after nearly being whipped to death.

“It’s good to know that I’m not suffering from anything really bad. Now you should worry more about yourself, trust me. I can take care of myself,” I told Slowtrot with a weak smile.

My eyes drifted over to Star Charter who had been thinking hard on her own role in our escape plan. We had been going over hypothetical scenarios under the guise of setting up an Ogres and Oubliettes game, now outside using bits of rocks as game pieces. Fortunately most of the guards and prisoners didn’t understand what we were talking about. They thought we were just being weird with a scant few knowing of the game which further gave us cover to talk in the open.

Star then huffed as she moved a pebble that represented her to another pebble. “What if I went after the second strongest bandit? I could use that to gain credit with the rest of the bandits.”

I shook my head. “No, no. Remember that the bandit boss is already known for starting trouble and that would only make the other bandits mad.”

“Also, it might look like an initiation ritual. That was always a thing in movies about criminals. Do something violent to join the gang,” Slowtrot added.

Star leaned back, looking annoyed. “What if-”

“No!” I cut her off. “Why must you pick a fight… in the game?”

Giving us a shrug, Star looked over at a group of Spitz’s followers who were keeping an eye on us. “We got to do something to… you know… ahh, I mean-”

“Increase standing, I think is the term?” Slowtrot guessed.

She pointed at Slowtrot and smiled. “Ya. That. The bandits, the rogues, and the corrupt merchants all respect strength, right? If we keep playing it safe then nothing will really happen on our own time table.”

“That’s technically true,” I reluctantly agreed as I fought to withhold a facehoof.

Lowering my hoof, I then pointed at the pebbles that represented Spritz’s group. “Strength is just a means to an end for all of them. What the bandits care about is loyalty and their cause.” My hoof then moved to the Ganger Alliance pebbles. “The rogues care about bits and they think that strength is one of many ways to gain it.” Lastly my hoof moved to the Cattle Prods group of rocks. “As odd as it might sound to you, for the corrupt merchants, strength and money are also just means to an end. What they really want is influence.”

“All that fighting now would do is give us unwanted attention, something we cannot afford right now,” I explained.

Star gave me an annoyed look. I sighed before adding, “But you're not wrong. We need to do something, and soon.”

My eyes drifted to the tall towers that housed vigilant NCR guards. The position would give them the ability to see for several miles. It was the biggest thorn with attempting an escape. It gave nopony a place to hide so long as the NCR had eyes up there.

This prison was almost comical with how it mocked the prisoners inside. It’s a brilliant move by the ministries that built it. This was clearly a minimum security prison where the bare minimum effort was made to cage ponies in. It was almost daring a pony to try and run for it just to see how far they would go until they gave up before the guard would come and easily pick them up. That was my guess, at least.

Nothing existed around this prison for miles on the pipbuck map. Nothing from the old world or from this new one. Just dessert. Escaping from the prison was not the problem. It was not getting caught that needed to be solved. So long as the NCR wanted to come after us, they would catch us. There’s no denying it.

It ran through my head over and over tat the solution was to take out the NCR, but then if I did that, I would truly become a criminal. I wanted to avoid as much violence as possible in order to get out of here and clear our names. But if we killed even one pony here, then that would be it, cleared name or not.

Then there was the issue of dealing with Spritz. The mountain of a mare was quickly becoming just as much of a problem as the guard towers were. She had everypony wrapped around her hoof through fear and subtle charm. If they didn’t want to kill her, they wanted to follow her. The mare's strength was also no joke and she was no dullard either.

I was just glad she was not as well read as she thought she was since Saddalarabian batteries required the juice of a magic plant, not just simple water. There was no way for us to get our hooves on that. Luckily there was no way for anypony to find out as long as I could charge the bulldozer with my own magic.

As for the rest of the plan, Slowtrot and Star were a lifesaver. It was shameful to admit to myself, but I couldn't think of anything good for a plan from the day we were thrown into the NCRCF. I don’t know why, but nothing came to me that sounded right. All of my initial ideas were just wishful thinking at best… maybe I was just hoping that somepony would just come to save us.

But, with each day that passed, it sank in that help might not come in time.

Looking over at the towers again, the scraps of a plan came together. The first being to take out the eyes of towers themselves. If we could gather enough black powder to make four bombs and sneak them to the towers, we could damage them enough to knock them over. If we combine that with a prison riot to keep the NCR distracted, we could jump onto the bulldozer before the other convicts knew what we're doing and ride out of here. When far enough away, we could make our way to stable 19 and plot our next course of actions.

But that’s only if we can get away without the other convicts joining us or the NCR quickly subduing the riot then chase after us. Worse is if the NCR just starts killing ponies. Then how far can we go before we die as well?

This is also assuming that Spritz does not escape with us or her own plans are put into motion along with whatever violence she plans to bring us.

It ran through my head again and again; the plans and every way it can fail.

“Oy Harp!” Star said, waving a hoof in my face and thus snapping me out of my current train of thought. “You okay?”

I slowly nodded. “Just thinking about… Right. The game. Just thinking about the events that can happen in the game.”

Star rolled her eyes at me. “Well don’t do it too hard. We don’t need that brain frying out on us.”

She was right. I needed to get my head on straight and not let my worries run away from me. Now if only we had the time to truly plan everything out.If only.

_______________________________________________________

Another restless sleep came to me followed by a nightmare. It was more memories than simple fear. I could not help but relive the moment. It haunts me still.

“Such a lovely young lady. It’s dangerous to travel on your own. You know that?” the mirage pony hunter told me. He had clearly seen better days. There was a cut on his face and he stood on three rusting prosthetic legs. But he was known for being the best guid in this part of the metro. He was both highly recommended and expensive.

The well kept pipbuck on his one good leg was his identification, so I was sure that the pony talking to me was the one I was told about. It also meant he had the ability to detect hostile beasts which was important for where I was going.

All I wanted to do was visit rainbow point. It was a place said to be one of the most beautiful places on the big island. I wanted to see it with my own eyes at least once in my life. If I did, I could go back home and wait for my fate. It shouldn't take long and the maids were paid to keep quiet about this outing, so I was sure nopony would know that I had left.

Not that they cared that I was around anyways.

As I trotted up into the station, Charon's Stop, I was revolted by the smell of the place. It was made all the worse by the sight of it. It was known as the place where station ponies come to die. The last chance at life was to dig oneself out of poverty, but few, if any, ever live long enough to restart their lives. Shanty homes staked on shanty homes. Peddlers sold rotting fruit and parasite riddled radhog meat. Mirage ponies of all types loitered around, each armed with whatever guns they could scavenge or make themselves.

What elder brother had told me about this place seemed to have been exaggerated, but no. He had put it lightly. I could feel it the magic of this place was putrid. It made me feel sick.

“First time?” the hunter asked me with a smile. “You rich mares really do live a pampered life if this makes you queasy. Usually Charon's Stop is even worse.”

“Worse?” I asked in horrified astonishment.

His smile became twisted. “Ya. Normally their carting off the dead in stacks.”

“Oh,” was all I said.

His smile faded, clearly disappointed by my lack of shock to his last statement. He misunderstood why I was displeased by this place. All the death and misery was just the natural state of things. They were, and will always be, peasants, and living short miserable lives was just their fate. The problem was all the grime and horrendous smell. It also didn’t help that, unlike most of my family, I could actually feel the stagnant magic.

Grimacing, the hunter trotted ahed and I followed. I kept my hood over my head just in case anypony did know what I looked like.

I trotted down the dirty walkway. The large station was a wonder to behold considering with how many ponies it could house and how dreadful it all was. We eventually pushed our way to the checkpoint where several mirage ponies stood in clean well pressed blue uniforms.

“One Orthrus bit per pony,” The guard requested. We paid.

They were the peace keepers of the metro. They were Stable-Tec which turned into an independent military. My family hated them as they prevented us from expanding our rightful territory and taking over all of the metro, but we also respected them for their ability to keep the peasants in line. I didn’t think of them. Not completely since I would not exist if they didn’t. They were the one who created the treatments that made Mirage ponies.

We left the station behind. We trotted into the dark tunnels using a well traveled route that I was told was patrolled enough that bandits were not a risk. Here the feeling of civilization fell away and the rotting old world was laid bare. It was being consumed by the roots of the toxic plants that prevented us from retaking the surface.

Crude graffiti covered the walls in a dark rainbow of hate and despair. Some depicted the many dangers that existed on the islands. Plants that spit their seeds, packs of mutated dogs, bugs of all shapes, ghouls infested with twittermights, large stampedes of radboars and, the worst, paradise dragons with their massive claws.

Strangely the large monster was depicted as a beautifly feathered lizard. The beauty was ruined by the drawings of dead ponies surrounding it. It’s claws were covered in blood.

“Don’t worry my lady, Rainbow point is quite safe. Nothing there for the beasts to hunt and the surrounding area is a spitter plant thicket. Even for those feathery bastards, it be suiside to even try to get close,” the hunter assured me.

My memory became blurry. Our path felt longer than it should. It was less traveled and darker, but the hunter assured me that we were on the right path. That it would only be a bit longer.

Was I just being stupid, ingnorant, or just desperate to have that last bit of freedom before my chains of obligation wrapped around me? Mother was growing weaker, though she hid it well. soon a new successor would be announced. No matter who was chosen, I knew I would be married off to some lesser noble to buy their loyalty and to keep me as far from them as possible.

So I just just followed that pathetic hunter while knowing he was leading me astray.

Where we ended up was a disgusting excuse for a home. The place was some safe house connected to the metro. Likely a rich pony’s shelter to protect them from the bombs for it to have lasted this long, yet everything here was rotte or rustedT trash was everywhere and there were signs that the toxic plant life was finding its way inside. This place was not going to last much longer.

The hunter spoke, but it was all nonsense to me now. Just mere noises that was void of any decency. I think he was talking about saving me, having me live free with him, spouting words of love and wanting to have a family with me. All utter garbage.

Elder sister, Silver Majesty, had set this up. She found a pony who would know all the hiding spots. One that could live out in this Celestia forsaken place for years. She must have also promised him me.

I knew she was behind it, but still trotted into it anyways.

Was I just trying to commit suside in a dramatic way? My family did love to die in style, so maybe that is why I did this.

But something, like a whisper, told me to run. It nagged at me, mocked me. I don’t know why, but a phrase ran through my head.

“A secret for a secret” had passed over my lips, and I ran.

It was all a blur. I just ran any way that seemed to open to me, almost as though guided. The hunter yelled as he chased me. He never quite caught me despite him being the expert out here.

The chase ended at a tunnel that led out into a decayed city. Both of us wore our gas masks so as to not breathe in the toxic pollen in the air. It was an eerie sight. A valley of tall buildings covered in vegetation and the sun shining down the broken road.

Again the hunter talked, and again I could no longer remember his words, not that they were important anyway. Just mad rambling of a pony who lived out here for too long, of which would soon end.

I do remember being afraid. Of him, of this place, of realizing what I had done and what he wanted to do with me. I could have just taken some pills and slept in my comfy bed to never wake up. Now I was cornered by a grimy peasant who wanted me to be his wife and live in filth.

Seeing a quickly descending vertibuck coming at us for a crash landing almost felt like a gift from the princesses.

The hunter didn’t stand a chance as the aircraft crushed him. It just barely missed me. In that moment, it felt like my mind became clear. Everything became vivid. My thoughts of giving up faded.

Was it from shock, or had I just concluded that, if I was to die, I would go home and do it? All I knew was that I ran again. I retreated back into the tunnel and found a place to hide. What I was hiding from I didn’t know, but I was becoming scared. So scared that I began to cry.

Yes. I remember now. Somepony was laughing; a mare. Her voice was filled with malice and disgust. I also could feel it, a stagnant and malicious magic that faintly covered everything.

Maybe that's why when they found me. I was already out of energy. my mind raced too much and was unable to process what was happening right at that moment.

I had been found by three pegasus in uniforms I had never seen before. They also spoke with an accent I didn’t recognize. I knew what they were, but didn’t know what followed them. For the first time in over two hundred years, ponies from outside our islands had finally come. It meant that we were not alone. We were not the last of ponykind.

It all went dark as I faded.

With the darkness came screaming and the sound of battle. Because of my selfishness, my wanting to die dramatically, I lead savages to my home. Their screams echoed in my head. It's all my fault. All my fault!

“WAKE UP!” Star whispered loudly in my ear while covering my mouth as I screamed into it.

She held me there, waiting for me to calm down before letting go.

“You're safe now,” Star assured but, when I looked at her, I saw that her eyes had a slight glow to them. It only filled me with fear.

I turned my head to the wall to look away. “Thh… thanks.”

She sighed. “Do you need me to hold onto your hoof as you sleep?”

It was an odd request, but right now, I didn’t want to be alone. “Please.”

Her hoof held mine as she softly hummed a tune as I slowly drifted back to sleep.

_______________________________________________________

Even with some sleep, my body still ached all over. It reminded me that I was both alive and in a prison. Strangely I was starting to get used to it, if only barely.The pain was more bearable, or I was just becoming more numb?

When it came to breakfast, I didn’t feel hungry at all. I offered it to Star and Slowtrot, but they both insisted I eat.

It seemed stupid to me as they both needed the food more than me. Slowtrot was still recovering and could use some extra food. Then there was Star, who just needed to eat more from what I remember about her. I was just a small pony who could barely lift a large rock, yet they made me eat.

“The brain consumes a lot of calories… Well, at least I think it does.” Slowtrot said as he tried to remember the wisdom of the old world.

“Hungry ponies don’t think straight. Trust me. I know,” Star assured me.

They were relying on me to come up with a perfect escape plan, but no matter how much I think, nothing felt like it would work. What I had was a plan, but not a good one.It was just something I threw together that sounded like a plan.

First off was the problem of just getting to Daisy Chain and driving off without the NCR killing everypony near it. Even one guard could kill most of us from just the roof of the building.

Which led to the next problem; the towers were not the only thing they could shoot from. It just happened to be the best place to do it. It also didn’t help that the bulldozer was not all that fast, so anypony not in the driver seat was an easy target.

I also had no way of dealing with Spritz if any of this even works. How was I even to get her followers to listen to me? They were criminals. They lived in a completely different world from me.

It was all a mess and it was giving me a stomach ache.

Leaving the cafeteria, nothing much had changed. The clock was still ticking. Ponies were already gathering to hear Spritz, the remnants of the other gangers trotted off to their hiding spots, and Cattle Prod sat in his little corner with his own group.

I couldn’t trust him to help us escape, but maybe I could at least use him to help me cury favor with Spritze’s group. I could have him get me those ciggets the ponies use as money and give them out to Spitz’s followers. That way I could avoid Star getting into a fight.

Trotting over with my friends besides me, Cattle Prod looked annoyed to see us come close.

“You're bringing attention to me that I don’t want.” Cattle Prod said with disdain. His eyes clearly looked past me and over at Spritz.

With my best smile, I attempted to charm him. “Oh! My apologies. I will make sure this is quick. I just needed to ask you something.”

The stallion slouched. He took a moment before he responded, “Alright, but make sure it’s quick. If that bitch starts thinking I’m up to anything with you three then don’t be surprised your next meal tastes funny.”

I don’t know why, but just hearing that he will tamper with my food made me a bit mad. That food was barely edible as it was and I didn’t want to eat it for the rest of my life, but having it get even worse just touched a nerve.

Keeping calm and taking a deep breath, I asked my question. “Now remember that you said you will do us a favor if we keep Spritz off your back. Well, I need to collect that favor. Nothing major. I just need something to get Spritz followers to like us more.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t remember saying that. What I remember is that my ponies will keep an eye out for you. Nothing more. Now scram.”

A dismissive wave of his hoof reminded me of the mayors from the metro stations. How they just ignored the plight of the peasants whenever they could. It was not that I cared much about it back then.Dealing with the peasant’s troubles were far below my position, but for them, it was their job. We trusted them to keep the peasant calm and working. Our job, in turn, was to make sure they did their job.

Cattle Prod was no mayor. He held no real power. He was just another sleazy pony. One that had something I needed.

Clearing my throat, I continued with my request. “I know you have a stockpile of cigarettes. If you can get me a bunch, I’ll owe you a favor. It would help keep Spritz focused on me.”

He eyed me up and down, then yawned a, “No...”

I narrowed my gaze at him, “What do you mean, no?”

“I mean no fucking way I’m givig you shit. Listen, little bitch. All I want you to do is be far from me so that the big bitch follows you. Your reward from that is my making sure that your food is edible. You understand?” Cattle Prod explained while sounding tired.

He then looked over at the two big ponies that stood nearby. He motioned with his hoof for them to come over. “If you want something from me, you better have something to give me. Unfortunately the prices have gone up, and even if I was interested in your body, you would need to do a lot of work to even afford what you're asking.”

“Again with-” Star began to say, but I stopped her.

“So that’s it, then? Throw us to the wolves and wash your hooves? Not even going to hear us out even after we did what you asked?” I didn’t know what I expected. Everypony else had at least heard us out, but this asshole just blew us off. Maybe I was getting conceded or just hoofing at straws.

He smiled. “That's just how it works, my little pony. So go and break rocks. Keep that bitch’es eyes on you and, if you're lucky, I might get the NCR to transfer you to the cleaning crew once somepony kills her.”

Cattle Prod then waved his hoof at the two large ponies that had come to him. “As long as you remember your place, everything will be fine. My place is to work here until I can go home. Your place is to break rocks until you die. Something that will happen much sooner if you talk to me again.”

The stallion then looked up and to his side where an NCR guard was watching. “Last thing you want is for them to think you might be hiding something in that puckered asshole of yours, now do you?”

The threat was clear and my own lack of power even clearer. I just hated it, but there was nothing I could do but rethink a new plan. With how my legs ached, I was now really starting to understand why he and his ponies were hated so much.

The power dynamic alone was easy to understand. It was the same back home where ponies who had leverage would get themselves into safe positions. Sucking up to mother was their favorite tactic. It made sure that she was informed about those who didn’t have her best interest in mind while hoping she would reward them with her favor. But here, Warden Dynamite was the king and Cattle Prod sucked up to him to gain his favor, all to give himself power over the rest of us.

I hated it so much, this powerless feeling. I may have had no power among my own family, but the other ponies still minded their manners around me and feared what little power I did have. Here I had none. I was just another lowly pony whose fate was like a noose around their neck.

An irritated huff came from Slowtrot as he took a step forward, staring down Cattle Prod. “I wonder how long it will take the NCR to come down here as I beat your face in?”

There was a pause as Slowtrot smiled.

Cattle Prod sneered. “Enough joking, get the fu-”

“Ironbuck, S.A.T.S!” Slowtrot growled.

With the fluid motion of a skilled fighter, Slowtrot bolted forward. He threw a right hook into Cattle Prod’s face. The crooked pony had no time to defend himself and was knocked back and practically bounced off the ground from the strike.

Everypony stood in shock, silent and tense.

Spitting out a tooth, Cattle Prod slowly got up. Rage was in his eyes. “If that's how it will be, then that’s that’s how it will-!”

A swift and heavy kick fell from Star Charter’s hooves and into his gut. It caused Cattle Prod to puke up his meal.

“Ya. lets fight!” Star said with a hungry glee.

It then happened too fast as I trotted back. The ponies who had been guarding Cattle Prod now descended on my friends. Star tossed sand in one of the goons eyes then positioned herself to give him a buck to the face, thus knocking him back. Slowtrot charged in to grapple the other larger stallion. He lost ground for a moment before pushing back which caused the pony to lose balance.

More of Cattle Prod’s goons trotted over. They seemed more interested to watch rather than to join in.

“You think you can just sit this out?” the voice of a rough mare spoke from behind. Her shadow loomed over me.

I watched as she wound back her hoof to hit me… then nothing.

Time had slowed down. Everything filtered with a green light. In my vision, the cartoonish twittermight of Order floated in, looking angry. “Tactical S.A.T.S. has been activated, madam. Would you like to connect it with your companions for joint action?”

“What?” I thought at Order.

Order gave a digital smile. “Tactical S.A.T.S. can be connected with other pipbuck with the same program, thus allowing joint movement if needed.”

This had already gone fucking south, so I thought “Why not!”

My concerningly smart virtual intelligence then bobbed as text rushed across my vision and then I could feel the presence of two others, my friends. “May I make a suggested action for you, madam.”

“Yes.” I answered do to my own inexperience with actual hoof to hoof fighting.

Several options ran across my vision before stopping at one called “Orthrus Security Throw.”

Next thing I knew, time slowly began to move. The mare thrusted her hoof at me, but my body moved on it’s own. It twisted out of the way of the attack and grabbed onto the mare herself. She kept going forward as I pulled her into me, then over. It was strange as the larger mare looked at me with shock as she flew over me and at Star, who was waiting for her. Grabbing her by the back legs, Star then tossed the mare into the stallion she was fighting. The collision knocked him back and onto the stallion Slowtrot had just bodychecked.

The three then fell onto a now extremely shocked Cattle Prod, pinning him under them.

Once more everypony became silent as the three of us prepared for another pony to try to fight us, but none did. They just looked at us with confusion in their eyes. All of them were waiting to see what happened next. What we would do.

It was an opportunity. It was not one I wanted, but still an opportunity for me to vent and possibly earn some reputation.

Trotting up to the pinned Cattle Prod, he looked up at me, a hint of fear in his eye.

Good.

“Listen here, peasant. I have already too much shit on my plate as it is and don’t need you adding to it, so I will agree to leave you alone and you will do the same for me. Simple as that. But… if you try anything, send your barely decent goons to try anything, have the guards try anything, even suggest trying something to the wind itself.” I got close to his face to make the point clear. “I will have you castrated with a sharpened rock. And trust me, it can be done faster than it would take the guards to come in to stop it. I know. My mother showed me how.”

Cattle Prod gulped and nodded. “D.. deal.”

With a smile, I backed away, then addressed the rest of the ponies watching us. “Now for the rest of you. I have no grudges or feuds with any of you, and I mean to keep it that way. But if you have a problem, I’m more than willing to talk it out in a civil manner. We are, after all, trapped here as slaves together. If there is one thing a slave master wants, it’s for us all to be divided. To toil till our bodies whither to nothing then be replaced by more like ourselves.”

Looking over at the prisoners who didn’t work as part of the chain gang, I wanted to give one last jab to solidify this on the spot speech. “And don’t be fooled. Not working out there only means you're the reserve. To be held onto in case several slaves get crushed by falling rocks. Then it will be your turn as the NCR needs their concrete more than they need a clean prison. Imagine, then, which of you are his least favorit boot lickers. Which of you will be sacrificed to the query so that he doesn't have to go like the rest of us.”

With a smile, I trotted away, followed by Slowtrot and Star Charter.

“Okay. What the fuck was that?” Star Charter asked.

“I don’t know. Just roll with it.” I told her.

“What you said about your mom ... was that true?” Slowtrot asked.

“Yes, but it’s not the time for questions.” I replied.

We then stopped, the towering form of Spritz Cookie loomed over us with a big grin on her face.

“So what were you talking to that snitch about before, you know, metaphorically castrating him like that?” The grin on Spritz’s face was both dark and filled with amusement.

I sighed. “The asshole pushed us your way on our first day. Said he’d give us a favor if we kept you off his back.” I lifted up my pipbuck to show her. “I upheld my end of the bagin, but then he refused to uphold his end. So we had him pay in a different way.”

Spritz looked over me for a moment, then chuckled to herself. “Well you three are more impressive then I gave you credit for. I mean, for fighting third rate thugs. Still, that little speech of yours looks like it shook some of the savages brains there. Got them to think. I can see it in their eyes.”

She then looked over to the side where several NCR guards were now marching over to us. “Now let's see how you deal with these assholes. I do hope you don’t sing even a whisper of a tune to them. Not unless you want that tongue of yours cut out. Wouldn't be the first pony I’ve silenced that way.”

Spritz then trotted away just as the gaurd arrived.

“You three, come with us!” they ordered.

I looked at Star and Slowtrot. Wee’re not sure what trouble we had just gotten ourselves into, but it was too late to do anything about it now. So we nodded and followed the guards away.

_______________________________________________________

-Reputation-

-Cleaners Convicts-

All deals are off and the three are now seen as enemies. They should watch their back when in the prison.

-Spritz’s Convicts-

Impressed by Harp’s speech and their blooding of Cattle Prods nose, they see the three as ponies who are on the right side. Their side.

-NCRCF-

To say they’re concerned would be an understatement.